What Are the Benefits of Lemons & Limes?

Lemons and limes are low in calories, fat free and rich in vitamin C.

Lemons and limes are closely related citrus fruits. According to Julia F. Morton in "Fruits of Warm Climates," the Tahiti lime, the variety most widely consumed in the United States, is presumed to have been a hybrid cross between the lemon and the Mexican lime. Lemons and limes are similar in caloric content, with about 30 calories per 100 grams, or a 1/2-cup serving, but their vitamin content differs. Although lemons and limes are too sour for most people to eat by themselves, they add flavor and nutrients to many popular recipes throughout the world today.

Scurvy Prevention

Nearly every species of animal is able to convert glucose to ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, but humans and guinea pigs lack the enzyme needed for this conversion and must get it from food. Most people get enough of this nutrient today, but those whose vitamin C levels become critically low can develop a deficiency called scurvy, a condition that plagued sailors in prior centuries. During Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan's 16th-century voyage, more than half the crew died of scurvy, and the problem continued until the 1800s, when doctors began to discover that citrus fruits prevented the disease.

Inhibits Bacteria

Acidic fruit, such as lemons and limes, may protect people from foodborne illness, according to researchers who studied the diets of people in West Africa after a 1994 cholera epidemic. In a "Tropical Medicine and International Health" paper they published in 2000, they reported that people who consumed sauces containing lime juice experienced a lower incidence of food-borne illness than those who did not. The researchers believe that the lime may stop bacteria from growing in the food.

Type 1 Diabetes

Lemon juice has 1.44 grams of citric acid per ounce, while lime juice has 1.38 grams per ounce, placing them among the fruits highest in citric acid, according to doctors who evaluated the acid content of fruit juice in the "Journal of Endourology." In 2011, a group of researchers published a study in "Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications," in which they fed diabetic rats fruits high in citric acid. They concluded it slowed the development of diabetes complications, including cataracts, albuminuria and ketosis. They believe that consuming lemons, limes and oranges daily may lessen the complications of type 1 diabetes in humans.

Protection From Arthritis

Adding lemon or lime juice to your meals may help protect you from developing arthritis. Similar to an orange, a lemon has 53 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, while a lime has 29 milligrams. English researchers who studied more than 20,000 arthritis-free people reported in the journal "Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases" that those with the highest intake of vitamin C were at least three times less likely to develop arthritis than those who took in the lowest amount of vitamin C.

Folate and Vitamins A and E

Limes provide more of some vitamins than lemons. A 100-gram serving, or about 1/2 cup of lemon sections, has 11 micrograms of folate, higher than the same portion of lime, with 8 micrograms of folate. Limes, however, are richer in the antioxidant vitamins A and E. 100 grams of lime provides 225 international units of vitamin A and 0.18 milligram of vitamin E, while lemon has 22 IU of vitamin A and 0.15 milligram of vitamin E.

About the Author

Maia Appleby is a NASM-certified personal trainer with more than 15 years of experience in the fitness industry. Her articles have been published in a wide variety of print magazines and online publications, including the Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, New Moon Network and Bodybuilding.com.